


An Unexpected Meeting

by uknowwhat



Series: Republic City Stories [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Post-Finale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-04 14:27:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3071534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uknowwhat/pseuds/uknowwhat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra stumbles upon a former Fire Lord while thinking about Asami. She discovers the loves of their lives run remarkably parallel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra meets Azula one night in Republic City.

Korra flew with her glider above the recently constructed refugee camps just outside Republic City. Asami was swamped with work upon their return from the Spirit World – she had nearly a whole new city to design, which would take.... years, maybe? Korra wasn't sure. She'd have to ask Asami. She dreaded the answer.

  
“Hmmph. So very selfish of you, Avatar,” she said to herself.

  
She spotted what looked like trouble below. An elderly woman, hair mostly gray, was walking with a bag full of groceries along the edge of one of the refugee camps. This area wasn't as well covered by what few security forces were available to the injured city, and some of the Triads had set up new bases here. As she watched, some dark shapes emerged from the shelters and began to follow the old woman. Korra began to dive.

  
She landed softly behind the shapes – now revealed as men, some of whom she recognized from Mako's wanted posters. She prepared to knock them all of their feet when the old woman stopped and turned around.

  
“Well now... don't tell me, you're looking to help an old woman carry her groceries back after a long day, right?” Something in the woman's voice made Korra stop.

  
“Can it, lady, just hand over the food and you can walk on home,” said one of the men, creating a small flame in his hand. “You don't want our kind of trouble.”

  
“Robbing a helpless old woman! Well, I never. Where is your sense of charity and fellowship in these troubled times?”

  
“Enough with that tone!” Said the man with the fire in his hand. He lashed out suddenly, sending a small trail of flame in the woman's direction.

  
The woman twirled on one heel. Suddenly the flame was circling her, and changing color. It turned a bright shade of blue that lit up the woman's face clearly at last. Korra gasped.

  
None of the men noticed. One lifted a clod of earth from the ground and kicked it towards the old woman from behind. She lifted one leg without turning and blasted the clod back in the unfortunate mugger's face with another burst of blue flame, singing his beard.

  
“Scram, boys!” said another, and the men fled at last, recognizing they were outmatched.

  
Korra watched carefully as the old woman dusted herself off, humming an old tune to herself. She lifted her head and looked directly at Korra then.

  
“Don't tell me your grudge extends over one lifetime, Avatar,” said the old woman.

  
Korra laughed. “Of course not. I'm just very surprised to meet you, Lady Azula.” Korra bowed.

  
Now it was Azula's turn to laugh. “Lady Azula? My, my. It's been a very long time since anyone called me that.” She turned away, then looked back over her shoulder. “Won't you walk me home? I am a helpless old woman, after all.”

  
“I highly doubt that,” said Korra, but she followed Azula anyway. “So... hmm... how do I ask this...” she began.

  
“How is it that I'm not dead?” said Azula.

  
“Well, yes,” said Korra, embarrassed. “All the history books say you retired to a quiet life after the war and then died about twenty years ago.”

  
“It's very convenient to have a Fire Lord for a brother, sometimes. Especially if you wish to fake your own death, so people leave you to live without always asking questions. 'What was it like fighting the Avatar?' 'Did you really almost kill Avatar Aang?' 'How come you aren't in prison?' Ugh. Tiresome.” Azula looked sideways at Korra. “Maybe one day you'll want to get away from your own history. Maybe you already know what I'm talking about, yes?”

  
“I'm afraid I do. It took me a few years to come to terms with everything that happened my first year in Republic City, but I'm better now,” said Korra. They waited at an intersection as large Satomobiles came through, carrying a load of bricks to the construction sites that were springing up everywhere.

  
“Well, yes. And you did a fair job of stopping that Kuvira person. But my apartment was destroyed! And what inconvenience you've caused all of us refugees, letting that monstrous robot walk in here and blow up the place.” Korra noticed the subtle smile playing across Azula's elegent, yet elderly, features. The teasing tone of voice revealed the real meaning behind her words, as well.

  
“I'll have to remember not to do that next time,” said Korra.

  
“You do that.” The intersection was clear to pass again. They continued along.

  
“You spared Kuvira. Saved her life, even, if the reports are true,” said Azula.

  
“Yes.”

  
“Why?”

  
“Killing Kuvira wouldn't solve the problem. And besides, she reminded me quite a bit of myself.”

  
“Kindness! Kindness, and empathy towards your foes. Hard lessons, believe me. Do you know why I moved to Republic City? It was so I could look out at the harbor at his statue and think 'I live in your city now, you silly old Airbender, what do you think of that?' whenever I like. And so people would know me as merely the old lady in the Republic Heights Apartment Complex instead of a former Fire Lord.” Azula sighed.

  
Korra remained silent. There was old hurt in those words, and healing, and a hard journey. She had no right to comment.

  
Azula continued. “Trust the ones who show you love. And return it in kind, if you can. And recognize love in all it's forms. From the mother's concern to a true friend's care to a brother's constant efforts, much as they may frustrate you, annoy you, and infuriate you at the time. Yes.... hard lessons, to people like Kuvira. But you've shown more love for her by your actions than anyone else in her life, if I guess correctly.”

“Love is a strong word,” said Korra. She thought of Asami.

  
“Love comes in many forms. Not all of them romantic, young Avatar,” said Azula, laughing as if she could read Korra's mind. They stopped in front of a shelter. “I live here. Thank you for walking me home.”

  
“It was my honor,” said Korra. Azula began to laugh.

  
“I'm sorry, I just can't hear the word honor without.... nevermind. Will you come talk to me again? We'd love some company.”

  
“Of course I will. But... we?” Korra began to ask, when she heard a voice from inside the house, calling.

  
“Is that you, Azula? Did you scare the triad boys again?” said the voice.

  
Azula winked at Korra. “I think the best kind of love is romantic, don't you? Coming, Ty Lee!” With that, she left Korra and went inside.

  
With a short run and a burst of airbending Korra was flying again. Busy or not, she wanted to see Asami.


	2. A Morning Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Asami have breakfast. Apples are crunched.

“Guess who I just met!” said Korra, landing with a thump on Asami's back porch. Asami was sitting in her robe, and the sun was peeking over the mountains to the east.

“Give me a hint?” Asami looked perfectly comfortable, reading the newspaper and sipping at her coffee. Only Korra recognized the signs of Asami contemplating a complicated problem – probably related to the Republic City expansion project. Ever since the two returned from the Spirit World, Asami's time had been swallowed up by planning the infrastructure necessary for the city's future. Korra knew Asami's workshop was filled with growth projection charts and population density maps. Somehow Asami found time every morning to come to her porch and read the news by the dawn's light.

“Hmm.... it was a Fire Lord. One I've never met before,” said Korra, sitting across from Asami. She took an apple from the fruit bowl on the table, and bit into it with a loud “crunch!” She felt very clever for not giving away Azula's gender.

Asami stopped and looked at Korra. “Wait, what? But...” she bit her lower lip. Korra liked this – Asami bit her lip whenever she was working on a particularly tricky problem. “That's impossible. Unless Izumi died and Iroh is the new Fire Lord, but I would have heard about that already. So...” she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. A few moments later she opened them. “Have you been meditating into the Spirit World? Is that where you met.... whomever?”

Korra shook her head and smiled widely. It was rare she could stump Asami, and she was going to enjoy it while she could.

“Well, unless 'Fire Lord' means something different now, I can't think of anything.”

“Have another hint. Rumors of her death have been greatly exaggerated.”

“You mean Azula?”

“That's right!” Korra's smile took over her whole face. “She's faked her death twenty years ago to get peace and quiet.”

“Huh. Okay, yeah, that's pretty cool. But why are you smiling so much?”

“Because she's living with a lady,” said Korra. She stretched out the word lady until it had about four syllables and accompanying eyebrow movements.

Asami had to stifle a giggle. Korra was awful at sexual humor – probably a result of her sheltered upbringing. It was adorable, in it's own way. “Oh? Do you think they're...” - she leaned in close to the Avatar - “smooching?”

Korra took another big bite of her apple. “It doesn't surprise you at all? Someone of her position and age, being in a relationship with another woman?”

“Not really. I grew up here, not some remote corner of the Earth Kingdom. Excuse me, Earth...” Asami flipped through the paper, looking for a specific page. “Earth Confederation, is what they're calling it today. Don't tell me that the Southern Water Tribe is still weird about that sort of thing.”

“Well, no, not particularly. Nobody talks about it, though. I do know the Northern Water Tribe isn't particularly accepting of it, but that's changing.” Korra tilted her head to one side. “How does the Fire Nation react to it?”

“I don't know. I assume much like Republic City, all things considered. You know what they say about people from the Fire Nation. I don't think anybody would get in the way of love there.”

Korra blushed. That word always caught her, when Asami said it. “Love.” Such a terrifyingly powerful, so very tiny word. “Actually, I don't know what they say about people from the Fire Nation.”

Asami blinked. “Oh, right. The compound. I'm sorry, I keep taking for granted that you were exposed to all the same things that I was.”

“It's okay. I know my childhood was pretty unusual,” said Korra, but Asami could tell the Avatar was embarrassed whenever she didn't know something when everyone else seemed to know it.

“Well, it's old stereotypes. Earth Kingdom citizens are supposed to be dependable, Water Tribe members are supposed to be easy-going, Fire Nation people are supposed to be passionate, and Air Nomads are supposed to be....” Asami frowned. “Actually I don't know what Air Nomads are supposed to be. It's just stupid stereotypes, it doesn't matter.”

“And you think the Fire Nation is too passionate a place to get in the way of love?” said Korra.

“Yeah,” said Asami. Desperate to change the subject, she reached for an apple of her own and took a bite. “Mmmf. Good apples,” she said with her mouth full.

Korra looked thoughtful. “You know, I think I will take her up on her invitation.”

“What invitation?”

“Oh, Azula invited me to visit again. I want you to come too, if you have time,” said Korra.

“I always have time for my girlfriend,” said Asami with a smile. Korra blushed. Asami loved to make Korra blush – bashful Korra was almost too adorable for words. Korra said her goodbye, and with an apple-y kiss they parted for the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's just to move the plot along, and establish how Korra and Asami deal with being in a relationship.


	3. A Shocking Meeting, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami hosts a get together with Korra for Ty Lee and Azula.

Asami gripped her tea, white-knuckled, as the Avatar dodged lightening.

The former Fire Lord, Lady Azula, was teaching Korra the finer points of lightning combat at Asami's new house. This included how to dodge it. The trick was to leave the ground. Asami understood all the principles behind it, but she was not happy that her girlfriend was dodging bolts in the first place.

“She's holding back, you know,” said the woman in the green outfit across from Asami.

“She is? But there's an explosion every time the lightning hits the ground!” Asami trembled. Her tea cup rattled on the table. “How can you say she's holding back?”

“Because she's not leaving craters. If Korra is struck, it will hurt but she won't be in any long-term danger,” said the other woman. Her make-up was impeccable, and done in the old Earth Kingdom style. “Besides, she moves almost as well as I used to. She won't be struck.”

Asami nodded, seeing the truth of this. “I never thought I'd be discussing how my girlfriend moves with the famous Kyoshi Warrior Ty Lee.”

“I've learned not to expect anything. There have too many surprises in my life for much to surprise me any more,” Ty Lee smiled, looking at Azula. “Still, the people you love will surprise you even when you think you understand them completely.”

“What was it like, loving someone like Azula? She seems so different from how the history books describe her.”

“It's because she is different. The history books don't tell the half of it – she was cruel, abusive, and power-hungry. But...” Ty Lee sighed. “There was a spark in there of goodness that was never kindled properly. Something missing, that she could never get in that awful household she grew up in.”

“What was it?”

“Someone to show her the strength of kindness.”

“And you showed it to her?”

Ty Lee laughed. “Spirits, no! After the war we didn't even see one another for a decade, and then we didn't speak for five years more. Frankly, I thought if she ever saw me again she'd try to kill me. No, her mother and brother gave her that. I won't say any more, it's her story to tell.”

Azula was demonstrating the classical motions for lightning bending that had been passed down through Fire Nation royalty for centuries. Korra was following along closely, not focusing any energy into her movements but mirroring Azula so she could repeat them by muscle memory.

Ty Lee closed her eyes and remembered when she feared those motions more than anything.

 

_There was a knocking at the door. She finished wiping off her Kyoshi make-up. Her fellow warriors were getting very good at Chi-blocking, and there were talks about teaching it to the general populace. Ty Lee wondered what the world would be like if non-benders could take away the thing that let benders exercise so much control over others. Perhaps it would be a better world. She went and opened the door._

_Azula. Standing right in front of her. She pictured those arms waving in that terrifying way, the air crackling, and a lightning bolt striking right at her heart. She couldn't dodge at this range. Only one thing to do –_ _stop her from moving and run._

_“Ty-” began Azula but then she was paralyzed from the neck down with one burst of motion from the former gymnast. She fell forward, unable to stop her own fall. Groaning, she looked up at Ty Lee's feet as the girl turned to run. “Please wait...” she whispered. A tear rolled down one cheek. “Please hear me first, before you go.”_

_Ty Lee turned angrily. “I don't owe you anything! I'm not afraid of you any more!”_

_“Good,” said Azula. A hint of a smile appeared on her face._

_Any other word, any other look would have sent Ty Lee off, to take Azula into custody and return her to the Fire Lord. She must have escaped. That was the only explanation that made sense... wasn't it? “Why are you here, Azula? Why now? Who did you hurt to get here?”_

_“I was afraid,” whispered Azula, so soft Ty Lee was sure she misheard her._

_“What?”_

_“I was afraid of you,” said the former tyrant. Her eyes were closed. Another tear rolled down her face._

_Ty Lee didn't move or speak for a whole minute. Eventually, Azula began to feel her body again, and regain her ability to move. She didn't rise off the floor, despite untangling her legs. Ty Lee watched as Azula wiped her tears away and looked up at her._

_“May I come in?” she asked._

 

Azula stopped, breathing hard from exertion. Korra hadn't even broken a sweat. “I swear, you're worse than the Airbender,” she said, laughing.

“What do you mean?” asked Korra.

“You Avatars have so much energy!  Do you even get tired?” said Azula, stretching. Today was, for her, a good workout.

“Not often. Although you had me hopping with the lightning for a while. Must've felt like old times, huh?”

“You'll excuse me if I don't have any particular nostalgia for old times,” said Azula, a bit sharper than she meant to sound.

Korra hesitated. “Nothing about your childhood makes you happy?”

Azula looked over at Ty Lee and Asami chatting  over tea . “ Very little .”  She walked up to the pair, who laughed at some private joke. “I hope you left enough tea for the rest of us,” she teased.

“Oh! I didn't realize you were finished. There's more tea inside, if you'll follow me,” said Asami.

The four women walked into the rear most room of Asami's house, which had a large indoor pool and tables set up around it. A tea kettle on a rolling cart was there, alongside a large bucket of ice. “Korra invented this drink. We're calling it iced tea,” said Asami. She poured the dark, steaming tea over a glassful of ice, and handed the now-cool drinks to the Avatar, who stirred them with waterbending before handing them off to the guests.  Finally, Korra and Asami swapped glasses for the last time and held them up.

“To Republic City?” suggested Ty Lee.

“To Republic City!” seconded the Avatar. All four took a deep sip of their iced tea.

“Oh, very good. Is that sugar I taste?” said Azula.

“Yes, a few spoonfuls per kettle cuts the bitterness just enough. Asami has the formula worked out,” said Korra.

“So what were you two laughing about?”  asked Azula. Despite her recent exertion, her outfit – a bit old fashioned but still very much identifiable as Fire Nation clothing – was immaculate. Asami wondered how she did that.

“You remember when Izumi came to visit that first time?”

“Oh no,” said Azula, smiling as she hid her eyes behind her hand. “Not this story again!”

“Now I'm curious,” said Korra.

“Go on then. You tell it best, Ty Lee.”

“Well...”

 

_“_ _Aunt Azula! Auntie Lee!” said a small voice, clearly belonging to a young girl. “I'm here!”_

_Ty Lee lept with joy. “She's here!”_

_“I heard,” said Azula. They walked to the front door and opened it. A dragon occupied most of their front yard. “It seems our neice has turned into a dragon,” she said sardonically._

_“I'm up here Aunties,” said the voice. Azula and Ty Lee looked up, and saw the Fire Lord and his wife and child dismounting from the young dragon._

_“It's good to see you again, Azula,” said Fire Lord Zuko. “You look very well. And you too, Ty Lee.”_

_Azula sqeezed Ty Lee with one arm. “I'm doing very well. How's ruling a whole nation going?”_

_“It keeps him too busy, I know that much,” said Mai. She hugged the two women, starting with Ty Lee. A small girl_ _wearing glasses_ _was hiding behind her, looking bashful after her initial outburst. “_ _Come on out, Izumi. You know your Aunts.”_

_Ty Lee squealed in delight and picked up the young girl. She threw Izumi up in the air and caught her, causing the young lady to laugh._

_With a respectful nod, Zuko thanked his dragon companion, who took to the skies. The group went inside, chatting._ _Izumi was going to stay for two weeks while Zuko and Mai attended diplomatic meetings in Republic City. Aang needed Zuko's help on some key territorial issues with the Earth Kingdom. Azula and Ty Lee planned to take Izumi to see Kyoshi Island._ _Ty Lee was calling the trip “Camp Kyoshi,” much to Izumi's delight._

_Two nights after Mai and Zuko left, the night before they left for Kyoshi Island, Azula woke to the sound of crying. Ty Lee, as usual, was snoring, and wouldn't wake up for a_ _nything_ _until_ _the sun was up_ _. Azula crept out of bed and down the hall._ _She was worried – she had no experience with children whatsoever._

_“_ _Izumi? What's wrong?”_

_“Oh Aunt Azula! I'm gonna be so hungry at Camp Kyoshi! I don't like vegetables!”_

_“What? Vegetables? What? Izumi, why would you be hungry?”_

_“Cuz all they eat is vegetables! I heard a man say it to his friend in the market today when I was with Auntie Lee.” Izumi had trouble pronouncing Ty Lee after the word “aunt,” and so merged the two._

_“...Tell me exactly what you heard.”_

_“The man whispered to his friend, 'That's a Kyoshi Warrior. You know it's a whole island full of lezvegans!'”_

_Azula blinked, then smiled. She couldn't help herself. She started to laugh. She laughed so hard she began to tear up. Izumi looked shocked, then worried. Had she done something wrong? But Azula couldn't stop laughing. She laughed harder than she ever had in her life. She woke Ty Lee, who came looking for the source of the thunderous laughter. Izumi had to explain what had happened, and then grew even more confused when Ty Lee started laughing just as hard as Azula.  
_


	4. A Shocking Meeting, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly a long flashback of Azula kicking butt.

Korra cracked up when Ty Lee reached the punchline. Asami laughed along with Korra, mostly amused at how much her girlfriend was laughing, as she had heard the joke already. Ty Lee and Azula shared a knowing look.

“Has Iroh heard this story?” asked Asami.

“What? Iroh had done his spirit thing by the time – oh! You mean Izumi's son. No, I don't think so,” said Azula. “Did you know I was Izumi's principle fire-bending teacher?”

“No I didn't. I always assumed Zuko trained her, but I never heard anyone actually say that,” said Korra, wiping a tear from her eye. “Why did he have you do it?”

“Two reasons: One, he was very busy with the whole Republic City mess, and two, he knew I was better at it,” said Azula with more than a hint of smugness. “Zuzu is good, don't misunderstand me, but I was a prodigy and he knows it.”

Suddenly, Ty Lee erupted into a small fit of coughing. Korra thought she heard the words “Agni Kai,” in there, but could not be sure. Azula glared at her. Ty Lee smiled. “Sorry! Some of the tea must have gone down the wrong way. Azula is a very good firebender – probably the best in the last hundred years.”

“Considering I've lived most of the last hundred years already, I'm not sure that's much of a statistic anymore,” replied Azula dryly.

“Well, I still remember the day you took down that bandit army single-handedly,” said Ty Lee.

“Thirty is hardly an army,” said Azula, for some reason suddenly reluctant to brag. “And you helped,” she said, putting down her glass and smiling at Ty Lee.

“Why don't you tell this one?” said the ex-gymnast.

Korra and Asami nodded eagerly. “People should remember you for more than what you did as a teenager. Stopping banditry is no simple matter,” said Korra, who knew all too well how hard it was to stamp out organized crime rings in Republic City.

“Oh, very well...”

 

_Azula had to admit, she had a megalomania problem. Part of it was a desire to be the best, in any situation. Part of it was the old, nasty desire to dominate others, that she had largely exorcised from herself through the years._ _Still, she loved to win. That was an impulse that was not so easily managed, but it could be diverted._

“ _Can't_ _this_ _Armadillo_ _-Ox_ _go any faster?_ _We'll miss the tournament_ _at this rate!” she said._

_Ty Lee sat next to her and laughed. “_ _You worry too much. We'll be there in plenty of time. Besides, registration doesn't start for another four days, and we're only two days away.”_

_“_ _Hmmph,” was Azula's only response. She knew Ty Lee was right, but she knew if she admitted it Ty Lee would have the smuggest smile for the rest of the day._

_“I wonder if we'll be dethroned this year? We're not getting any younger, you know.”_

_“The day I lose at beach volleyball is the day I stop playing,” replied Azula. They were the reigning champions two years running – and the oldest competitors. Azula had to enter under a false name, of course, but Ty Lee and her sister 'Ty Zula'_ _handily dominated the competition._ _Azula had never lost her taste for the game, and Ty Lee enjoyed indulging Azula's competitive side – especially if it meant a vacation._

_The caravan they rode with rounded a bend_ _in a canyon_ _, only to find the path blocked by a pair of enormous boulders. Azula and Ty Lee nearly fell off their seats as the driver pulled the brake lever. The Armadillo-Oxen began complaining in their peculiar high voices to one another._

_A cry came from above. “Surrender your vehicles and beasts and all your valuables to the People's Separation Front! Co-operate and no one gets hurt,” said_ _a scruffy-looking fellow who appeared from the top of one boulder._

_Azula made to get up, but Ty Lee held her down. “We're here on vacation, remember?” she said. Azula shook her head._

_“He wants the animals, which means we'll have to walk, which means we'll be late. No, I am not just going to let this happen. Tch! That new Earth Queen will be getting a nasty letter from me, I assure you.” Azula stood up. They were seated in the second cart of the caravan. “You shall move these boudlers or I shall deal with you myself!” she cried._

_The driver of her cart turned to confront her with a horrified look on his face. “What are you doing? We're insured! Just let them take what they want.”_

_But it was too late. Azula had already tied her hair up in what Ty Lee thought of as her “battle bun.”_ _With a leap she was scrambling up the canyon wall. Blue jets burned from her palms as she used the propulsion to keep her grip on the wall with her feet. Before the bandit spokesman could react, she had reached the top of one boulder and in a single bound jumped from the canyon wall into a flying tackle. She landed bandit-down on the other boulder._

_“You will move these boulders or I will end you today,” said Azula._

_“One problem with your proposal, lady,” groaned the spokesbandit._

_“And what's that?”_

_“I'm not an earthbender.”_

_Azula's head snapped up. Two groups of bandits stood up around the canyon edges above the caravan. Both of them looked extremely upset._

_“Ty Zula! No killing, please! I don't want to have to deal with murder charges!” said Ty Lee, enjoying the show so far. Azula glared at her long-time partner, but nodded. If Ty Lee wanted a bunch of merely-injured bandits, then she'd injure all the bandits._

_Two rocks the size of her head came at her from the sides of the canyons. One flew high, the other low. She pushed herself up off the spokesbandit, staying parallel to the ground, and pushed herself backwards with firebending. Azula landed on the opposite side of the boulders from the bandits and the caravan. The canyon grew wider here. She knew she had but moments. Rocketing up with a powerful boost of bending from her feet, she cleared the forty feet to the top of the canyon in a single bound, and took the approaching bandits by surprise. One raised a fist to strike her and received a painful but mostly superficial burn on one arm for his trouble as she caught the fist and used the man's arm as an anchor point as she flipped over him and kicked the woman bandit following him in the stomach. Three down. The bandits, to their credit, rallied instead of fleeing. A group of earth-benders raised a wall and began hurling parts of it at her. Others notched bows, ready to fire over their bending partners in crime._ _On the opposite side of the canyon, the bandits were bending stairs down across the blocking boulders so they could cross from one side to the other._

_The bandits, then, had some military-style training. Rather than panicking when faced with a skilled opponent, they had quickly organized a defense designed to keep her at bay while the other half of the group came up behind her. Not typical bandit behavior at all. Azula wondered idly if these were ex-Earth Kingdom soldiers. Not that it would matter much longer._

_Azula made as if to surrender at last in the face of obviously organized opponents. She raised her arms, first two fingers pointing to the sky. Below, Ty Lee covered her ears. The bandits before her held position, while those crossing the canyon on the boulders continued. With a few flicks of her shoulders and elbows she had lightning crackling around her. Two bandits with bows released their arrows, and she narrowly avoided them with a twirl. A large boulder came at her – the size of her body, easily. She took aim at it, and released all the energy she had built up._ _With a 'KRAK-OOM!' it blew apart into gravel. She shielded her face with her arms, but the bandits weren't so lucky._ _Three of the benders were taken out immediately, too close to the blast to shield themselves properly. Four archers loosed their arrows, which went wild. One struck the leg of a member of the second group of bandits, who fell off the boulders with a cry. Another hit a bender in the arm, causing a nasty gash that the bender had to cover or risk bleeding out. The two archers that had got off a shot at her had fallen as well, blinded by the dust kicked up from the explosion. Ten down. Azula allowed herself a smirk. The rest would not be so easy._

_With swift kicks to joints she dispatched the remaining bandits that stood on her side. The second group finally caught up with her, and attacked in fury at the damage she had wrought. One fell to a devastating series of explosive claps, another was pushed over the canyon edge to roll down to the caravan below. Another, a burly man who nearly cut her hair with his enormous sword, was kicked between the legs as hard as Azula could manage. The remaining bandits, realizing their odds, dropped their weapons and held up their hands._

_“_ _Move the boulders, please, or I'll have to forget my friend's request,” said Azula, smiling sweetly. Ty Lee had to stifle an enormous eruption of laughter lest the bandits bolt for it in surprise._

_In fact, it took another twenty minutes to get the boulders moved. The bandits, it seemed, needed most of their benders to act together to move the giant boulders, and many of them were in no shape to work following the short battle._ _Eventually, the way was clear._

_“Good-bye!” waved Ty Lee,_ _as the caravan continued. They won the tournament that year, and for another seven after_ _._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Action scenes are hard. I'm working on making mine more fun to read. Note: This chapter ended up being much, much longer than I anticipated. I expected this particular scene to be over in around 1500 words. It's taken me around 3000. I expect at least another 2000 more.


End file.
